On today’s show…tensions between mobility providers and cab drivers flare up in Spain…Mercedes is using X-Ray machines to improve the safety of its cars…and how lights can help improve the performance of racecar drivers. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.

MOBILITY SERVICE PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT IN SPAIN
Automakers think that mobility services could represent a whole new business for them to get into. They see a big chance to make big money. That’s why we’re seeing so much activity in this field. But this has irked taxi drivers, since these services don’t have to follow many of the same regulations or pay licensing fees like the cabbies do. And now protests over these new mobility services are getting violent in Spain. Bloomberg reports that nine drivers for the ride-hailing service Cabify had their cars burned and over the last 18 months 70 vehicles in Daimler’s Car2Go fleet have been smashed up. And earlier this week, taxi drivers in the country went on strike to protest mobility services’ not having to pay for cab licenses, which can cost as much as $145,000 in Madrid. And until lawmakers update the mobility services’ regulations, the tension between the two sides will likely remain.

OSRAM LIGHTS HELP RACECAR DRIVERS STAY FOCUSED
Racers have tried all kinds of tricks to gain a competitive edge, but could it really be as simple as the color of light they’re looking at? Lighting supplier OSRAM has teamed up with BMW Motorsport to provide it with a number of solutions to help drivers and their team stay alert and focused. And they first tested them out at last weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours Race because racing at night presents a host of unique challenges. The most intriguing solution is a set of LED glasses. They work by varying color and light brightness, which can help drivers prepare for night time driving and allow them to return to optimal performance faster after rest periods. For example, red light helps to regenerate, while white, bluish light causes the body to wake up faster and more effectively. OSRAM also installed special lighting in common areas and the pit wall control center, so the rest of the team could feel the positive effects from the lighting. The BMW team that used the lighting solutions fielded two M6 GT3 cars. One finished 4th overall in its class, while the other did not make it to the end.

And we’ll be back with more right after this.

HOW MERCEDES IS USING X-RAYS TO IMPROVE SAFETY
I’m sure many a bone has been X-rayed after a car crash, but now Mercedes is flipping the script and turning the X-ray machine on the crashed car. It’s testing ultra-fast X-ray technology to see how safety-related parts deform during a crash, both internally and externally. The data is then put into a computer to help improve the accuracy of crash simulations. Mercedes is even working towards a day when a digital model of a human body can be used in place of a dummy. It’s end goal is to improve the forecasting quality of vehicle crash simulations. Many may wonder why this even matters with autonomy on the horizon, but the IIHS predicts there will still be 34,000 traffic deaths in the U.S. in 2024.

FORD CREATES SPECIAL EDITION FOCUS RS
The customer is always right. Ford is taking that to heart and is launching a limited-edition of the Focus RS in America. The automaker took suggestions from current owners and club members, scoured comments and suggestions on enthusiast websites and forums and even looked at other people’s Photoshop renderings. New to the car are red and blue paint colors that come with a gloss black roof and mirror caps. The rear roof spoiler is also gloss black now and features blue RS logos on the side. 19-inch wheels are standard. The interior gets carbon fiber on the door handles, handbrake and boost gauge and it comes standard with RECARO seats and heated seats, mirrors and steering wheel. And to get the most out of the car, there’s a new Quaife limited-slip differential for the front axle. It’s able to distribute the torque to the front wheels in such a way that the car has better acceleration and stability. Only 1,500 limited-edition examples of the RS will be made for the U.S. and Canada that will come out later this year.

Coming up next, a look at why the investment community isn’t sold on automotive technology advancements.

WHY WALL STREET ISN’T SOLD ON AUTO R&D
Increased safety standards and stricter fuel economy regulations are forcing automakers to invest billions of dollars to meet targets. Even though automakers have little choice, the investment community is leery about the payoff from all this R&D. On a recent Autoline This Week we were joined by Wall Street automotive analysts and they explained the investor’s point of view.

(The ATW preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)

And be sure to tune into Autoline After Hours this afternoon. Our special guest is Brian Pannebecker, a former UAW worker, who will discuss the growing popularity of Donald Trump among union members, who traditionally have supported Democrats. So this ought to be a interesting show. That’s today at 3PM eastern time on our website, Autoline.tv.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.

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The cabbies in Spain certainly have a point (not endorsing the violence by any means) but if people are being transported by vehicle, the playing field MUST be even; now whether that is tightening mobility services or loosening taxi requirement, I don’t know, but fair is fair (and should be).

There needs to be some sort of blind tests (pun not intended, okay, maybe it is); the lighting issue by OSRAM is certainly inconclusive (so far).

Here’s my take on why Wall Street isn’t sold on Auto R&D (at least to the tune of supporting stock prices); the competition is so stiff in the automotive market, and advancements are developed almost in unison between the automakers that advantages don’t last very long and sustained or quick gains can’t be realized in the car market. Catch-up is very quick in ‘autos’ and margins so thin that auto stocks just can’t be ‘darlings’ of Wall Street. IMO

With any new technology, including new tech for cars, it’s hard to know who to bet on, so maybe professional “investors” are betting on no one. Didn’t Radio Shack and Commodore dominate the PC market at one time?

So what kind of special lighting were the winning teams using that beat BMW? And there is no discussion of the air borne pollution that comes with the airborne oxygen for fuel cells in the Toyota car. How do you clean the surface pollutants off of the catalyst bed?

I’m sorry, but I just can’t get excited over the Focus RS at all, to me it looks like what it is, a front wheel drive four door grocery getter that gets the little boy racers all excited because it has some power. Whenever I see one on the highway tailgating someone in the fast lane I get a real good laugh out of it and it’s driver. Thanks for that, Ford.
I always knew the UAW wasn’t particularly astute when it came to politics but jumping on the President Doofus trainwreck is a new low even for them, considering that most of the changes the new administration wants to make will screw the segment most of the UAW comprise. Rich and connected you aren’t UAW.

Why are cabbies not campaigning for the same near zero requirements as Uber and Lyft. Hard for the city councils to mandate one rule and fees for taxis and the other for Uber. Uber can’t object. If standards fall then the common standards can be lifted. If I was a council I would ask if Uber/Lyft could fill in the gaps that standard taxi services fail to fill- wheelchair access, EV taxis, late night mid-week taxi supply, long-distance fares to fill in lack of public transport